I Shall Not Want
by Tulip-Jin
Summary: [They call me the Guardian of Time. I'm also known as Gatekeeper, the Hero of Time, and just Link...] A little AU I cooked up. Completed, and now undergoing extended editing for increased improvement!
1. Prelude to Light

Tulip-Jin: Yeah, I took a writing class, frittered around with _Twilight Princess_ for a while (yay!) and have decided to give this piece of crud the editing it so sorely deserves.

Yami Tulip-Jin: What, someone else is gonna write it? Sweet!

TJ: (eye twitching) YA-miiiiiiiiii...

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Disclaimer: "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; Persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; Persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR."

PS: Me no own Zelda!

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They call me the Guardian of Time. I'm also known as Gatekeeper, the Hero of Time, and just Link - but that's to my friends.

Not that I have time for them. They're always doing whatever they need to be doing, and I'm always busy too. Destiny, I suppose. Sometimes I consider cursing Destiny, but it's pointless.

Too bad. My curses are becoming a little too lethal to pass around anyway.

And how was I supposed to know that mask would ruin me? Sure, it defeated Majora. But when I woke up afterwards, I couldn't find it. I looked for that mask for years before I realized what happened. So I'm also called the Fierce Deity.

Such a power is too much for any mere mortal to handle, but I'm not any mere mortal so you'd think I'd be able to handle a little mask. Alas, not so. The Fierce Deity has a mind of his own. Or my mind does. I can't be certain sometimes. When I'm fighting, my friends say it's like I'm a different person. One of the great understatements of my lifetime, which is really saying something.

Another oddity. I've never been sure if it's the mask or my mixed blood that does it, but I have been alive for longer than reason. My body reached a stature somewhere between my original age and how old I was when I acted as the Hero of Time. Closer to my older form, thankfully.

Unfortunately, the moment I stopped growing, what should surface but the all-consuming need for complete destruction?

I pity those that haven't lived through my losses of self-control. It's part of the reason I took this job I watch the currents of time, make sure the worlds don't mess around with each other too much. It doesn't leave much time for company.

In many ways, that's a relief. On the other hand, that also means I get to deliver the bad news to everybody when something goes wrong. Often enough, I'm only confirming it for Zelda. Poor girl still gets nightmares when something's up.

As for me, I don't remember a time when I haven't had nightmares. Not one night of real sleep in my entire life. And Zelda thinks she has it bad…

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TJ: Yeah...well, I AM trying to be true to the story I originally made...just review it, damn you! 


	2. Minuet of Forest

Tulip-Jin: Yay! Reviews! You gotta love 'em!  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Yes, we're all thrilled Aibou, now can you stop crowing as it's been THREE DAYS ALREADY!?  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Raaawwwrrrr rawr rrrrraaaaaawwwrr. Rawr rawwwrr rawr rrraawrr! (We'd like to thank any and all reviewers. You have the guts to tell us what you think!)  
  
  
  
  
~*~Nobody here owns Zelda~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Link sighed as he stared into the darkened heavens. The Blind Eye was full, the   
  
  
  
stars were out, and he still felt miserable. His more recent nightmares hadn't been too   
  
  
  
bad, but something was up. To top it off, FD was becoming increasingly edgy. "For the last   
  
  
  
time, no." Link said, as if talking to himself. "I will not go 'war-jumping' just to suit   
  
  
  
your need for blood." His Other answered in a way deeper than mere words. His need was   
  
  
  
great, but Link was up to it. With a bit of concentration he pushed his Other back into the   
  
  
  
recesses of his mind. Then he looked to the stars once more. What was worse, he wondered.   
  
  
  
The life of a warrior, or the life of a Sage? His Sage friends had their own concerns 24/7.   
  
  
  
His were very different, but probably equal. He rubbed his eyes before setting off down   
  
  
  
the hill. He had a job to do. As Guardian, he had to protect everyone from whatever might   
  
  
  
disturb their preordained fates. That meant heading off the occasional rouge monster. He   
  
  
  
checked the instrument in his hand. Not much father now…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
She couldn't sleep. She was just too tired to sleep. The roles of Sagedom,   
  
  
  
Princesshood, and Keeper of Wisdom completely wore her out. She looked out her window, and   
  
  
  
gazed upon the inner garden of the Castle. Even at this ungodly hour, the guards still   
  
  
  
patrolled. Zelda briefly toyed with the idea of sneaking out. She was getting desperate   
  
  
  
for something - anything - to lighten her mood. "Shouldn't you be getting your beauty   
  
  
  
sleep, Zel?" The voice was right beside her chamber window. Zelda smiled. "Ah, Link, you   
  
  
  
know that won't work. I'm too old and decrepit." "You certainly act like it." Link sat on   
  
  
  
the sill. "What're you doing here at this time of night, Link?" He sighed. "Business.   
  
  
  
But we can catch up while I take care of it." He pulled out his bow and fiddled with his   
  
  
  
arrows. He cocked his bow as he listened. Zelda always needed someone she could just rant   
  
  
  
to every once in a while. She was just getting to her list of things she was still trying   
  
  
  
to finish when Link took aim and fired into one of the big bushes. The bush glowed before   
  
  
  
spewing half a dozen flapping skulls surrounded in blue fire. "Jinxes. Damn." Link   
  
  
  
mumbled as he grabbed for more arrows. Every Skull he hit disappeared in a ball of light   
  
  
  
until they were all gone. "Link, what were those?" Zelda asked nervously. He grinned just   
  
  
  
like the kid he'd been when they first met. "Jinxed Skulls. One hit, you can't draw your   
  
  
  
sword for a while. They probably thought your guards looked tasty." He frowned then.   
  
  
  
"They keep showing up everywhere, except in Terminia. And that's where they're supposed to   
  
  
  
be." He stood and gave her a quick bow, not easy while he stood on a tiny ledge. "Now,   
  
  
  
Zel, you really should sleep." Zelda nodded. Suddenly she felt so tired. She went to bed.   
  
  
  
Unbeknownst to her, Link stood on the sill watching her as she slept. Then the icy pain in   
  
  
  
his chest drove him away.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It still hurt. Even with the arrow practice, he could feel the ice in his chest.   
  
  
  
The FD wasn't going to take no for an answer for much longer…he thought as he quickly left   
  
  
  
town. He was pulled from his less than cheerful mood by being knocked flat from behind. He   
  
  
  
got up and dusted himself off to the hooting laughter of his horse. "That's cheating   
  
  
  
Epona," he said indigently, "You snuck up on me." Epona just kept laughing. For a horse,   
  
  
  
his mare was pretty obnoxious. She shook her reddish head and fluttered her eyes. Link   
  
  
  
grinned. If he didn't watch her, he'd be wrapped around her hooves in less than a day.   
  
  
  
"C'mon, you." He mounted. "I think I should try the Training Grounds again." Epona   
  
  
  
snorted playfully, but took them both quickly to the Fortress. She was the only one he'd   
  
  
  
ever told about FD, and she was always willing to help. The Gerudo, long used to Link   
  
  
  
showing up at all hours, ignored him as he entered the Grounds. He'd begun using it as a   
  
  
  
way to vent FD's compulsions safely a while back. He closed his eyes and let his eager   
  
  
  
Other rise to the surface…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Tulip-Jin: Tell us what you think, and ya'll come back now y'hear? 


	3. The New Wave Bossa Nova

Tulip-Jin: So many chapters, so little time!  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Yeah yeah. Just go already, I'm gonna take a nap...*thud*  
  
Tulip-Jin: Huh?  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Raawr. Raaawwrrr rawr rrrraawwwrrr. (Wow. That was really...weird.)  
  
Tulip-Jin: Oh well, she did just stay outside all night...  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Raaawwwrrr rrrawwwrr rawr. (I still think that was a mean trick.)  
  
Tulip-jin: It was Truth or Dare! Like I was supposed to know she only picks dares?  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Raaawwwrrr... (Sigh...)  
  
  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~*~Nobody (here) owns Zelda~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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…A few hours later, Link came to himself. He was slightly disturbed by the rather   
  
  
  
large cut down his arm. Apparently, the monsters in the Gerudo Training Grounds _were_   
  
  
  
getting bigger, just like the Gerudo had warned him. They had forbidden him to remove them   
  
  
  
- they thought it was great for training - but it was still a bad sign. He sighed. At   
  
  
  
least this little diversion had made FD happy. Link wrapped the cut with a scrap of cloth   
  
  
  
as he left the Grounds. It was midmorning. Epona happily knocked him flat again before   
  
  
  
they made their way back to the Temple. The Temple of Time, where Link spent most of his   
  
  
  
days, was very different from when he'd first seen it. It was harder to find for one, a   
  
  
  
plus when one wanted something left alone. That thing was the Master Sword. The Master   
  
  
  
Sword had to stay in the Temple, but some foolhardy person was always after it. Stupid   
  
  
  
rumors of it giving absolute power had been circulating for decades. Link patted Epona   
  
  
  
before going inside. In a sense, he'd become the 'Sage' for this temple. It was a powerful   
  
  
  
focus point for Seeing. He'd actually found himself calling it home. He sat, leaning   
  
  
  
against the wall. Too many late nights took their toll, and Link fell asleep.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@  
  
He was lost in the mist. It swirled around him, chilling him to the bone. It was   
  
so dark…where was he? It felt like the Sacred Realm. He saw a magnificent building.   
  
'Temple of Light' came to mind. In an instant, he saw everything. This was Hyrule of the   
  
Lost Years! What remained after sealing Ganondorf away. Here, the Six Sages used their   
  
powers to enforce the seal that kept him there. True, all but Rauru had chosen to follow   
  
Zelda to Link's time, but their powers still held. That's when he heard the voice.   
  
"…Chosen One…" it whispered. "…beware the Forces of Darkness!" "Who's there?" Link   
  
called. The mist deadened his words. "Seek the shadow darkness cannot cast!" It   
  
whispered. "Power and freedom have their own price…" It faded, and suddenly the Temple in   
  
front of him shattered into a thousand pieces. Link was blinded by the explosion -   
  
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
- And cried out as he woke. Link wiped his sweaty forehead. That was the strangest   
  
  
  
nightmare he'd ever had. None had ever been so forward - but then, he'd never fallen asleep   
  
  
  
in the Temple of Time before. Link thought about the strange warnings he'd heard. It was   
  
  
  
disturbing, and to make matters worse, he could feel FD on the fringes of his mind again.   
  
  
  
"Forces of Darkness?" Link muttered. It was almost impossible to tell when the forces of a   
  
  
  
great and powerful evil were banding together. Except - Link started. It _couldn't_ be…could   
  
  
  
it? It was time to find out.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Zelda woke from a twisted nightmare. Darkness overcoming light, to be overcome by   
  
  
  
shadows…this dream made no sense! She rubbed her eyes. At least the Royal Family gave her   
  
  
  
some time off. When she and the Sages went back to this time, the Zelda of this era had   
  
  
  
gladly named her in a high position. Zelda wouldn't be in charge of Hyrule directly, but   
  
  
  
she could train those who would. It had been such a weird feeling, seeing her younger self   
  
  
  
being crowned Queen. But that had been half a century ago. Now she was in charge of a   
  
  
  
different crowd. The young princess Zelda (named in her honor), the prince of the Gerudo,   
  
  
  
and a young half-Kokiri girl following Link's footsteps. She'd already been named Personal   
  
  
  
Bodyguard-in-Training of the Princess. To avoid confusion, Zelda had changed her title from   
  
  
  
Princess to Duchess. She was in charge of their education in the matters of magical   
  
  
  
leadership. Today she'd have to test them. Zelda was waiting in the Garden for them. She   
  
  
  
could hear the arguments as they made their way down the hall. As always, the guards   
  
  
  
announced them. "Your Ladyship, the Princess Zelda of Hyrule, Prince Menandorf of the   
  
  
  
Gerudo, and Miss Lace." As they came in, Zelda watched her namesake in wonder as always.   
  
  
  
She was the spitting image of herself as a girl. Then cameMenandorf. He had the usual   
  
  
  
appearance of a Gerudo male, wearing lots of black. Then Lace followed him. Looked just   
  
  
  
like her brother, that one. Blue eyes, blond hair in a ponytail. With her was her fairy,   
  
  
  
Navi. Navi, who'd fainted in shock when discovering her new charge. Zelda was just   
  
  
  
starting the lesson when disaster struck.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Tulip-Jin: Yeah, I'm cutting it off there!  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Raaaawwwrr rawr raaawwwrr rawr rawwwwrrrr...rawr... (You see, the next part's loud and if we did it now...well...)  
  
Tulip-Jin: My Yami would wake up and then kill us. She has this thing about being woken up when she doesn't want to get up!   
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... *Hugs Giant Mallet of Doom close like a teddy bear*  
  
Tulip-Jin: So if you could *quietly* leave us a nice review, please do! 


	4. Song of Storms

Tulip-Jin: Yeah! Reviews! Hooray!  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Aibou, did I ever mention you have a serious mental problem?  
  
Tulip-Jin: Really?  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Yep! It's called 'Insanity about this Baka Link!'  
  
Tulip-Jin: O_O Grrrr....  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Raaawwwrr rawr rraawwrr rawrr... (And I'd think _you_ of all people would know better...)  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Uh-oh...  
  
Tulip-Jin: DON'T CALL LINK BAKA! You - *insert cursing from about seven different languages*  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Raaawwrrr rrrrrraaaawwwwrr rawr rawr! (Wow, I didn't think that was physically possible!)  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: AAIIIIEEEEE!  
  
Tulip-Jin has grabbed the Giant Mallet of Doom and is currently chasing Yami Tulip-Jin with it. Yami Tulip-Jin is running like the wind to avoid her currently very ticked Aibou.  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Raaaawr rawwrr rawr rrrawwwrr. (Always rememeber, never insult Link in front of an authoress with a crush on him.)  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~Nobody owns Zelda (for which we give many thanks)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The disaster struck in the form of a massive earthquake. The walls cracked, the   
  
  
ground shook, and Zelda could feel the shock waves of power echoing through the net of magic   
  
  
woven throughout Hyrule. At this rate, it would tear itself apart! Forgetting everything   
  
  
else, Zelda focused her power from where she was. She could feel the others doing the same,   
  
  
all Seven Sages trying to hold the land together. It took seemingly ages, but finally the   
  
  
tremors ceased. Zelda collapsed in a dead faint, her energy completely spent.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Zelda woke. It might have been a day later. Already she could hear the voices in   
  
  
the corridor. "…hid her away they did, didn't want to risk…" "…not telling anyone. They're   
  
  
afraid he's going to…" "…her ladyship was so pale, I thought she'd gone and died…"   
  
  
"…Everywhere else too? By Din, it's the end…" Zelda sat up in her bed. "You okay?" asked   
  
  
a tiny voice. It was Navi. Zelda nodded quietly. "Thank the Goddesses! We were so   
  
  
worried!" Navi babbled. She was silenced by Lace stuffing her in a bag. "Old trick for   
  
  
quieting noisy fairies." Lace grinned cheekily. "When you fainted, the Gerudo were already   
  
  
demanding the return of their prince! And they stuffed your namesake in a hole somewhere…"   
  
  
Navi was shouting inside the bag. She broke out and bopped Lace. "And I am not a noisy   
  
  
fairy!" "Whatever. So, your highness, looks like you're stuck with us." Lace said. "I   
  
  
need to see the others." Zelda said as she tried to stand. "Well, that may take a while.   
  
  
Reports said the other Sages got hit as bad as you. They're probably not up yet." Lace,   
  
  
for a trainee guard, was mysteriously well informed. Secretly, Zelda had accepted the girl   
  
  
as her private ward, and so Lace always tried to keep her up to date. "If you change, you   
  
  
might be able to sneak out." Lace hinted. Zelda laughed before assuming her alter ego,   
  
  
Sheik. She'd been living as a Sheikah for so long, you needed to be one inorder to keep up.   
  
  
"Ready?" Sheik asked. "You bet! Meet you at the gate!" Lace laughed as she and Navi   
  
  
raced out the door.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was a little difficult to get out. The castle was in a complete lock-down, and   
  
  
without her magic Sheik would have been caught. She was surprised to see Lace at the gate   
  
  
well ahead of her. "Trade secret." was all Lace said when asked about it. They quickly   
  
  
made their way to Kakariko Village. There, they were met by Nabooru, Impa, and Darunia.   
  
  
Ruto was still recovering, and Saria couldn't leave the Woods. They all sat in Impa's   
  
  
house, comparing notes. None of them could pinpoint where the disaster had originated.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Chibi Red Eyes: Raaawwr rawr rrraaawwrrr rawr rawr rrrraawwr. Rawwr rraawwwr raawwwr! (Since TJ and Yami TJ are still trying to kill/trying to avoid being killed by each other, I'll say a few words. Thanks in advance to those who review this chapter!)  
  
A ways off: *sound of explosion*  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Raaawwwrrr rawr. Rawr rrrraaaawwwwrrr raaawwrr rawr. Rawr rawr! (Anyway, hope you liked the chapter. We reformatted the spacing to reduce eyestrain. So please R&R!) 


	5. Song of Soaring

Tulip-Jin: Ta da! Here's a big chappy for those nice people that read my ficcy!  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: What's with you? You're unnaturally cheerful today.  
  
Tulip-Jin: That's because I have been served with an Order of Inhibition!  
  
Yami Tuli-Jin: Okay...  
  
Tulip-Jin: Argh! Don't people read Ender's Game? It's this hugely good book!  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Raaawwrrr rraawwrr. Rawr rrrraaawwwrrrr rawr rawr. (I have. And it's described in Ender's _Shadow_, not Ender's Game)  
  
Tulip-Jin: Whatever. I wuz faking it anyway!  
  
Chibi Red Eyes & Yami Tulip-Jin: -__-;;  
  
  
~*~We don't own Zelda - just the parts we make up!~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
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Lace sat next to Zelda, bored stiff. She knew that this was important, but she   
  
  
didn't quite get what they were talking about. Lace let her mind wander, trusting her   
  
  
ability to remember everything around her to fill herself in later. She listened, and just   
  
  
when she thought it wouldn't happen, it did. Hoof beats. Very close. At this point, the   
  
  
Sages were arguing so fiercely that they didn't pay attention to Lace when she got up and   
  
  
calmly walked to the door. They didn't even notice when she walked outside. Right next to   
  
  
the door was a horse. "Hello Quill," She said as she patted his head. Quill was her   
  
  
horse, and he would only come up here on his own for one reason. She waited while the other   
  
  
horse trotted up. "Hey Gatekeeper," She said to the figure that dismounted from it.   
  
  
"Lace, where did you - oh." Zelda and the others had followed her out. Zelda smiled shyly.   
  
  
"Hello Link." Link gave them all a smile. "What, you couldn't wait for me?" Lace stood   
  
  
happily next to her big brother. Meanwhile, Quill was exchanging hellos with his mom.   
  
  
Epona nickered contentedly as Quill brought her up-to-date. Link began looking serious.   
  
  
"Rauru sent me. We need everyone at the Temple."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Impa, Darunia, and Nabooru teleported away - they would have to pick up the other   
  
  
Sages and fill them in on the way. Zelda stayed with Lace, Link, and Navi. Navi was   
  
  
floating around Link's head like old times. "I left my horse at the castle - " Zelda began   
  
  
when she noticed the white gelding behind Epona. "Yeah, I thought you might have." Link   
  
  
said cheerfully. They mounted and rode out of Kakariko, to the southern part of Hyrule   
  
  
Field. Link lead, since he was the only one who knew the way. "So, what've you been doing   
  
  
this entire time, Link?" Navi asked. "Pest Control," He said. As Epona plowed ahead, he   
  
  
whirled in his saddle and shot an arrow right past Lace's left ear. The Poe he hit shrieked   
  
  
as it was destroyed. "You really need to warn us when you do that!" Lace said, mock-angry.   
  
  
"Sorry." Eventually, they reached their destination - a large rock formation that stuck   
  
  
straight out of the ground. Riding into the only cave opening, Zelda and Lace were   
  
  
surprised to see a open area ahead. It looked like a different place altogether. They   
  
  
stopped right outside the Temple of Time. It was surrounded on all sides by the small   
  
  
meadow, which was in turn surrounded by a stone wall filled with holes. "You can't get in   
  
  
unless you need to," Link said when they asked. They left the horses outside and walked   
  
  
right in. Inside, the Temple was exactly the same. The three Stones hummed as they spun in   
  
  
place. "The stones? But I thought-" Link cut off the fairy with a wave. "I did." "Then   
  
  
how-" "Never mind. Come, this way." He lead them through the open Door of Time. The   
  
  
Master Sword gleamed brightly from it's place in the Pedestal of Time. As they waited, the   
  
  
air filled with light that resolved into five Sages. Ruto was looking a little green around   
  
  
the gills, but they were none the worse for wear. "Where's Rauru?" Saria asked. Link   
  
  
said, "He's waiting in the Sacred Realm. We have to open the channel." Each Sage stood on   
  
  
his or her symbol. Link and Zelda were inside the circle, on either side of the Sword. As   
  
  
Link focused the energies of the Sword, a brilliant light engulfed them.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
But wait! There's more!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
When Zelda next opened her eyes, all the Sages were in the Chamber of Sages. Rauru   
  
  
was in his place, but… "Rauru? What happened?" He looked like a wreck! His robes were   
  
  
slightly scorched, and his hair was a rats nest. "The Evil One has escaped," was all he   
  
  
said. "How?" "He attacked the Barrier at full force. It took everything he had, but he   
  
  
broke through." "Was that the cause of the earthquakes here?" "Yes." "Can we locate him?"   
  
  
"No. He used so much energy that I can't detect him. And while he regains his strength,   
  
  
he will remain hidden until he attacks." "What can we do?" Impa asked. "We need to find   
  
  
out how much of a threat to the Timelines he is. Link?" Rauru addressed the empty air, but   
  
  
immediately Link's voice filled their heads. "If he finds his way here, he can cause   
  
  
considerable damage. It was pure luck that he didn't rip both planes apart just breaking   
  
  
out." "But how could he have done so? The Barrier was at full force. Not even a piece of   
  
  
the Triforce could have broken through." Zelda was upset. "It wasn't just the Triforce of   
  
  
Power," Link said softly, and Rauru nodded. "Ganondorf has found a power in addition to   
  
  
that of his piece." "What? What did he find?" Nabooru asked. "We don't know. We shall   
  
  
try to figure out what while the Evil One is still weak." Links voice floated to us again.   
  
  
"We will try to figure it out on our end." Rauru said, "Good luck," as the channel between   
  
  
times closed. "We must hurry."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Tulip-Jin: So, what cha think? Cool, no?  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Aibou, did you eat my Big Box O' Ho Hos?  
  
Tulip-Jin: No...  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Raaawwrr rawr rrraawwr rrrawwr... (Yeah, that's _real_ convincing...)  
  
Tulip-Jin: I didn't! I swear!  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: 'Snot polite to swear.  
  
Tulip-Jin & Chibi Red Eyes: O_O;;  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: ^_^ Yeah, just R&R already! 


	6. Requiem of Spirit

Tulip-Jin: First up, everybody keep in mind that this fic is AU. So don't start going 'Oh they can't do this' and 'Oh they can't be that', it DOESN'T MATTER! If we get flames, they will be given to my Yami for torture and beheading.  
  
  
*Nearby, Yami Tulip-Jin is sharpening a humungous axe on a stone, whistling happily*  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: Next, if people need stuff explained, tell us so we can tell you! Otherwise you'll just have to muddle your way through things.  
  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawwr rraaawwrr rawr rrrrawwrr rraawrrrrr rawr! (Just THINK about the loss of impact the story'll have!)  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: Yep! Oh, Yami totally destroyed our disclaimer machine so I'll just say it here. Niether I or my muses/Yami/Alter personas own Zelda. We DO own Lace, Quill, and more stuff i'll point out later!  
  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: It's not my fault! It told me I wasn't allowed to own Snuggle-Wugums!  
  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Raaawwwrr rawr rrrrawrr? (Does Yami Bakura know you call him that?)  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: *gagging noise* Yuck! Just get on with the fic!  
  
  
  
  
  
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When the light faded, only Link was standing by the Sword. Lace asked, "Well? Is it Ganondorf?" Link gave her a   
  
  
nod. "Aww, and I was just getting used to not fighting." Link watched his little sister in amusement. He'd been very   
  
  
surprised when the Deku Sapling had informed them of each other. He could still remember the way it had apologized for   
  
  
misleading him on his bloodline. The story of the woman with the child hadn't been completely accurate.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A woman had fled the war. She carried her children unborn within her. She had been fatally wounded. After   
  
  
wandering in the Lost Woods, she had come across the Deku Tree and begged him to save her offspring. She herself was Hylian;   
  
  
the father had been part Hylian, part Sheikah. He'd died protecting them, and she didn't want his sacrifice to be in vain.   
  
  
The Deku Tree sympathized with her, as he then carried the Kokiri inside. So, he drew her children within him. The boy -   
  
  
Link - had been born with the first Kokiri. The Tree recognized this child's fate, and had birthed him early. But the other   
  
  
- his sister - waited with those who hadn't been born. She came later, when the new Sapling had matured enough to raise new   
  
  
children. Link and his sister - whose name was Lace - were unique among children. They carried their parent's blood, but   
  
  
being born like a Kokiri had made them part Kokiri as well. But while Link had been cast as an outsider for not having a   
  
  
fairy, Lace had just beaten up Mido when he tried to tease her about it. With that out of the way, Lace had had an almost   
  
  
normal childhood until she and Link had been introduced. Now, her reckless spirit sometimes scared him. She'd taken very   
  
  
quickly to the life of a warrior, so Link introduced her to Zelda. She'd been receiving training at the Castle for years.   
  
  
Every time Link visited, he could see her having fun sparring with the Gerudo Prince who was training there too. He'd taught   
  
  
her every secret of the world that he could; Quill had been a birthday present. She resembled him so much; obviously because   
  
  
they were technically twins. Zelda herself had remarked on how scary it was.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Lace and Navi paused at the sound of Link clearing his throat. "Yes, big bro?" She asked in her sweetest little   
  
  
girl voice. "We need to check how badly things are going around here. I suggest splitting up." "Okay, then I call Hyrule   
  
  
and Terminia!" "Fine. You got everything you need?" She nodded, and impulsively ran over to give her brother a hug. "Meet   
  
  
here in a week, okay?" He nodded, and she ran outside to say goodbye to Epona. Link watched her as she rode off on Quill.   
  
  
"Nice girl. A bit off in the head, but sweet as sugar." He murmured, and Epona whinnied in agreement. "You get time off   
  
  
for now. Go have some fun!" Epona took the opportunity to race towards the Ranch. Link went back inside, and opened a   
  
  
portal he'd never told any of them about. He had a feeling the Oracles would be able to help. He materialized in the same   
  
  
spot as always - the edge of a cliff on a beautiful spring day. Labrynna hadn't been hit verybadly. As he made his way   
  
  
through the City, he could see minor repairs being made to most of the buildings. "Link, I was wondering when you'd show up   
  
  
darling!" Link sighed to himself. For a Guardian Tree, this Maku tree was worse than Ruto. "I'm looking for Nayru, Maku   
  
  
Tree." She pouted about how he never came to see her before calling Nayru. The Oracle of Ages looked worried as she walked   
  
  
in from the Forest of Time. "Link, I could feel it." "How is everything?" "We didn't get hit too badly, and from what Din   
  
  
said Holodrum is in the same way. This is not good…" she trailed off. Ralph stood by her protectively. "It's more than the   
  
  
Triforce of Power, isn't it?" he said knowingly. "Even I've been having bad dreams, and you know psychically I'm thicker   
  
  
than Rolling Ridge." "The Sages are trying to find it. Any hints would help." "Sorry. And Din said to tell you nothing in   
  
  
Holodrum would help." Link was about to respond when those exact words hit him. Nothing in Holodrum, eh? "Tell me if   
  
  
something else happens, alright?" Link bade his friends goodbye before making his way to the secret passage between Labrynna   
  
  
and Holodrum. Normally he'd have stopped by the Maku Tree here, but instead he wandered in the woods until he reached a   
  
  
hidden portal in the bushes. Stepping through, he found himself in a whirl of chaos.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~```  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: In case you couldn't already tell, I own both Oracle of Seasons AND Oracle of Ages.  
  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Among other things.  
  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Rawwr. Rrraaaawwrrr rawr rrawwrr. (She _has_ to own both. They're a set, you know.)  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: Anyway, people review this thing!  
  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: *in monotone* No. Stop. Think of the children.  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: YAMI!!!! 


	7. Bolero of Fire

Tulip-Jin: Aha! There it is!  
  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: What're you looking for Aibou?  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: The spare Auto-Disclaimer, of course!  
  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawwr rawr rrrawwwrrr. (Turn it on.)  
  
  
Spare Auto-Dislaimer: *bing* Tulip-Jin does not own Zelda.  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: It works!  
  
  
Spare Auto-Disclaimer: *bing* She does own Lace, Quill, and other totally unmentionable delusions.  
  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: O_O  
  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: O_O  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: Oh well, can't win 'em all!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Everywhere he looked, he could see Surbrosians running around in panic. It was unusually cool down here too.   
  
  
Fighting his way among the tiny populace, he came across Rosa. "Link, thank the stones! We wanted to find you, but we can't   
  
  
leave Surbrosia right now! It's a mess! The Evil One was here-" "What!?!" "The Evil One was _here_. He tried to get in! We   
  
  
stopped him, and the Vulia-Cuin exploded and he got the secret stone!" "Secret stone?" "Oh yeah, it's a secret. Anyway, he   
  
  
got it and took it back with him. That happened a few days ago, as you toppies think time." Link sat next to Rosa and held   
  
  
her by the shoulders. "Rosa, try to calm down. What is the secret stone?" Rosa sobered up and explained. Surbrosia was a   
  
  
secret and hidden place because the Surbrosians were in charge of guarding the Golem Stone. It was a powerful stone that   
  
  
when controlled by the Chosen One, would bless them with it's powerful magic. But when misused, it's power could destroy   
  
  
everything. The Surbrosians had locked the Golem Stone inside the mighty volcano Vulia-Cuin, and thought it safe from theft.   
  
  
"Great, and he's already used it." Link said. Such an object was the only way Ganondorf could have broken free of Triforce   
  
  
magic. "Rosa, how do we stop the Golem Stone?" "It is an object of Fire," she said, "Only Fire may wield it. Link, if you   
  
  
are going to fight the Stone then I must go with you!" Rosa was adamant. She was the descendant of the Surbrosian who'd   
  
  
locked the stone away, and was the only one who knew it's full powers. Link finally agreed, and Rosa brought three friends   
  
  
with her - for protection, she said. They were Cane, Wisp, and Lily. All of them were skittish about going aboveground, but   
  
  
they swallowed their fears for the sake of their duties. Cane was an old friend of Link's. As they made their way back to   
  
  
the Temple of Time, Cane and Link spent the nights going over what they'd missed in each others lives. "Don't worry, my   
  
  
friend." Cane said. "He and you will find harmony eventually." Link said, "I hope you're right."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Lace was very busy. She and Quill were running around helping and asking questions. What she learned was   
  
  
disturbing. Freak accidents and strange appearances had been happening all over the place. Cows stopped giving milk, and   
  
  
not even Epona's Song was helping. In addition, wild animals were behaving strangely. She had been attacked by panicking   
  
  
Keese in the Market on twelve separate occasions. Wolfos would trail her from place to place. Even an Redead she had seen   
  
  
had ignored her, and just stood waving it's arms and making a bone-chilling wail. Death Mountain was incredibly active, and   
  
  
the only clue she'd unearthed was a whisper between two Gorons in Clock Town. "The Stone, it has to be!," was all they'd   
  
  
said. Now the week was up, and Lace was looking for the Temple. In her haste, she had neglected to ask how to find it on   
  
  
her own. "Augh! I'm either very proud or very mad that Link made the Temple so hidden!" She said irritably. Quill   
  
  
nickered condescendingly, and trotted to Lon Lon Ranch. There, they ran into Epona grazing. "Yeah, sure Quill. Suck up to   
  
  
your mom," Lace teased. With Epona's help they made it to the Temple in no time. Navi was wondering aloud where Link was   
  
  
when they walked inside and found themselves alone. "Who knows? My brother is the weirdest person in Hyrule." "Hey!"   
  
  
"Admit it Navi, you agree with me." "Yes, but I don't go yelling it to the whole world!" "And for that I'm ever so   
  
  
grateful," said the voice behind them. Lace turned around, and cried, "Link!" Then she saw the really small people in hoods   
  
  
behind him. They looked really shy, and one was wearing a big red bow and matching key. "Who're your friends, big bro?"   
  
  
Lace asked. "In a minute," was all Link said. He walked to the door of time and pulled out the Ocarina of Time (an old   
  
  
gift from Zelda) and played Saria's Song. One blinding flash of light later, he walked back to Lace, trailed by all Seven   
  
  
Sages. "We couldn't find anything," Zelda whispered to Lace. "Me neither," Lace said back. "Link, you said you found it?'   
  
  
Rauru asked. He didn't look comfortable outside the Sacred Realm. "Yes, tell us Brother," Darunia said. Link didn't look   
  
  
happy, but just said, "The Golem Stone." That brought an immediate reaction. "There's no way!" Darunia protested. "That   
  
  
stone is merely myth!" "It is real," said one of the little people Link had brought. She stepped forward and bowed. "I am   
  
  
Rosa, leader of Surbrosia, and what our friend says is true." Lace had never seen a Goron go pale before. "Darunia, do you   
  
  
know something we don't?" Impa asked. Link also looked intrigued. "And here I was told that no one knew about Surbrosia."   
  
  
he said. "Alright! The entire Goron race is aware of Surbrosia!" Darunia admitted. "Our ancestors were sworn to secrecy   
  
  
when the Golem Stone was first placed there." "That's what they meant!" Lace blurted. "I heard two Gorons talking in Clock   
  
  
Town. They were saying something about a Stone!" Rosa nodded. "The Gorons know of the Stone, but only the Surbrosians know   
  
  
of it's full powers. The Evil One tried to escape to our home, and he got the Stone through sheer chance." "That explains a   
  
  
lot that's been going on," Link took over. "He knew he couldn't get _through_ the Barrier, so he's been trying to punch   
  
  
through the void between worlds and make an escape. And that way, we would never have noticed until he attacked us from   
  
  
behind!" "What exactly has been going on?" Ruto asked. "The wild animals have been behaving erratically for some time now.   
  
  
I've been finding the undead in thethe liveliest places you could imagine. And certain creatures in places they were never   
  
  
meant to inhabit." "I remember what you said about the Skulls at the Castle…" "It's everywhere." "Now that I think about   
  
  
it, the spirits in the Forest Temple were acting pretty strangely before…" "So what can we do?" "You must find the Stone!"   
  
  
Rosa, being a celebrity, was more used to attention than her fellow Surbrosians. She took center stage rather gladly at this   
  
  
point. "You must find the Stone! We must lock it away before great tragedy befalls every world! The Stone is difficult to   
  
  
sense, so someone must go look!" Unconsciously, everyone's gaze drifted to Link. "I might as well," he said. He sounded a   
  
  
bit depressed. "But there will be a problem. If I go back, and Ganondorf tries to go through…nothing you can do will be   
  
  
able to stop him." Link looked at Zelda while he said this. "The Triforce will not allow you to block him if one piece is   
  
  
trying to pass through. It cannot be used to destroy itself." Silently, everyone nodded. "You all had better get ready for   
  
  
the worst. If he comes, the best place for each of you is your Temples. Alright?" They nodded. "Good luck, Hero of Time,"   
  
  
Rauru said softly. Link walked to the Master Sword. A moment later, he pulled it free, and was enveloped in a blue light.   
  
  
It swirled until the only thing left was a glowing blue oval hanging where the Pedestal of Time had stood. "You guys better   
  
  
stick with the princess and me, okay?" Lace said to the frightened Surbrosians. They nodded, and everyone left.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Tulip-Jin: Tune in next time, for another exciting adventure on...Dragon Ball!  
  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Aibou, wrong show.  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: Oops.  
  
  
Spare Auto Disclaimer: *bing* Tulip-Jin does not own DB, DBZ, or DBGT.  
  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rrraaawwwrrr. (Handy, that.) 


	8. Nocturne of Shadow

Tulip-Jin: OMG! Oh man, oh man oh man!  
  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawwr? Raawwwrrr rawr rawr? (What? What's wrong TJ?)  
  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: She just looked at the calendar. It's been, oh, just a month or so since she last updated - here _or_ at Chi's.  
  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: O__O Rawwr. (Uh-Oh.)  
  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Don't worry Aibou! Any insensitive jerks will have to live through going past me! (gestures to HUGE pile of weaponary she got for X-mas)  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: Thanks! I feel better! ...I think...  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~ Zelda is owned by sane people. (Obviously none of us)~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Link's first impression was that nothing had happened. But then, why was the Temple so cold? He turned, and found   
  
  
himself alone. He had made it. Sheathing the Master Sword, Link walked outside. He was dismayed at the sight. Rauru had   
  
  
mentioned this Timeline deteriorating, but it looked identical to when Ganondorf had ruled. At least there were no Redeads   
  
  
in the ruins of the Market. Just stray dogs and the occasional beggar. At least he _hoped_ they were beggars…that dismal   
  
  
trail of thought followed him out into the field. He was aiming for Lon Lon Ranch before he remembered that Epona had   
  
  
sacrificed herself here in order to follow him. Sighing, he turned for Kakariko instead. He was just getting started when   
  
  
he was hit from behind. A shadowy shape he couldn't identify had slammed into him, ripping up his side as it did so.   
  
  
"Augh!" Link gasped in pain while he rolled to the side. The shape looked like a medium sized lizard, similar to a small   
  
  
Dongedo he once had known. It stood on it's back legs, and the three claws on each forepaw resembled daggers. One claw had   
  
  
blood on it. Link's blood. The pain from his wound hit him then, but he ignored it, drawing the Master Sword instead. The   
  
  
creature gave him an odd look before making a hooting noise like an owl. Instantly, two others bounded up to join it.   
  
  
"Sorry, but I have plans, so your dinner will have to wait," Link said. They cocked their heads before circling him. They   
  
  
moved very fast. Without warning, they attacked him together. The battle was fast. Link would block one with his shield,   
  
  
stab one with his sword, and the third usually managed to get in a hit. Finally, Link was barely able to take one out. The   
  
  
second one was watching as the third decided to leap for the final blow. Link, already on one knee, knew he wouldn't   
  
  
survive. So it was very nice when the third's jump was interrupted by a big white blur. After the two separated, the blur   
  
  
turned out to be - "A Wolfos?" Link asked stupidly. It was a really big White Wolfos. It howled and attacked the lizard.   
  
  
It was winning, but the other lizard was trying to get to Link. He wasn't going to make it. The lizard got taken out by two   
  
  
arrows and somebody's sword. Link's vision was blurring from his blood loss, but before darkness took him he thought he   
  
  
recognized his other savior…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
…Link's head throbbed. Where was he? 'The last I remember was that guy-' he opened his eyes, sat up, and instantly   
  
  
regretted it. "What?" He was in what appeared to be a rough cabin. Just one room, and over in a chair was - no, it   
  
  
couldn't be… Link's savior, seeing he was awake, stood up and walked over. "You alright?" Link just stared in disbelief.   
  
  
"What? Hello, Hyrule to Hero of Time, come in Link." "…But…didn't I…kill you?" Shadow Link just laughed. "Not really.   
  
  
But then, that wasn't really me." "Who are you?" "I'm you. Your shadow, anyway. Just call me Shadow. And speaking of   
  
  
then…I never got a chance to thank you." Link was dumbfounded. "Thank me?" "Yes. When you beat 'me' you released me.   
  
  
Ganondorf used his power to capture and control me after you defeated Volgavia. He was certain I would kill you. But you   
  
  
won." Shadow smiled. "And I've been spending the time doing what you used to. Saving passersby." He thought it was funny.   
  
  
"Do you know-" Link's shadow cut off his question. "Yes. But you won't find him here. He sensed the Gate opening, and by   
  
  
now he's in your world." Link tried to get up. "Hey, watch it. You're going to put yourself in bed for a week if you walk   
  
  
too soon." Link looked around. "How long was I out?" "Oh, only a day or two." There was a scratching at the door. Shadow   
  
  
opened it, and the White Wolfos ran in. It began trying to lick Link's face until Shadow said, "Hold it Baba. You want to   
  
  
put him out again?" The Wolfos whined and lay right next to the bed. "'Baba'?" "I've had him since he was a pup. He   
  
  
managed to take out a full grown Giant Deku Baba, so I named him Baba. And that was years ago." Shadow shrugged. "We   
  
  
attract weird animals, don't we?" "Yep. Speaking of which, what attacked me?" Shadow turned his gaze to the wall. "The   
  
  
villagers call them Drakes. They appeared here right after the Sages left. They're ruthless killers, and go after anyone by   
  
  
themselves. Luckily, they haven't gone farther than the Field." Shadow sighed, then went to the stove. "I imagine you're   
  
  
hungry?" Link noticed how his stomach was growling. He blushed while Shadow gave him a bowl of something thick and hot.   
  
  
"You'll be up and about by tomorrow," Shadow said, adjusting the bandage on Link's head. Link didn't remember getting that   
  
  
one.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Shadow sat in his chair and watched Link sleep. Shadow hadn't felt like this since Ganondorf had captured him so   
  
  
many years ago. It was always right for a person and their shadow to be together. It was a sense of completeness that   
  
  
wrapped the package together. Shadow moved his chair closer. _Once_ he had believed that…but now he knew better. He may have   
  
  
been Link's shadow before, but the role he had played was now filled. And by an amateur, no less! Shadow didn't need to be   
  
  
a Sage to understand what was going on inside Link's head. But he needed more information. Baba woofed a question when   
  
  
Shadow laid a hand on Link's chest. "I need to help him," Shadow told his companion. Baba sat back and watched as Shadow   
  
  
placed his other hand on Link's head and closed his eyes. What Shadow found inside was disturbing. The restless spirit was   
  
  
pacing the boundaries. It turned at Shadow's mental approach. [Shush now, I only want to help,] Shadow whispered. {How can   
  
  
you help us?} the spirit whispered in response. [I will show you your peace, friend. Take care of him…] Shadow's whisper   
  
  
trailed off as he did his work. There. Now the Fierce Deity was calm. His power was fully available. If Link could figure   
  
  
out how to use it, then he would have all the protection he'd ever need. Shadow couldn't go back with Link, but that never   
  
  
stopped him from trying to help. Shadow, nodding in satisfaction, left the still slumbering Link to watch the stars that   
  
  
night.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: O__O  
  
  
Tulip-Jin: Am i missing something here?  
  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Raaaawwwrrr rawr rawr rawr rrraawwrr raawrr. (She just got her first good look at Shadow Link.)  
  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: HE'S KAAWWWWAAAIIII! ALMOST AS MUCH AS SMUGGLE-WUGGUMS! WHERE'S MY CAMCORDER?!  
  
  
Chibi Red Eyes and TJ: -__-;; 


	9. Serenade of Water

Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawwwr _rawr_ rawr. (I do _not_ believe this.)  
Tulip-Jin: Nobody's reviewed since the sixth chapter? ARE YOU PEOPLE EVEN READING THIS! ARRRGGGHHH!  
Chibi Red Eyes: Rawwwwr rawwwr, rawr rawr rraawwwrrrr... (Well at least this way, no one can complain that you haven't posted recently...)  
Tulip-Jin: Yeah, and if this keeps up i'm never going to again!  
Random Sign: See all eight previous disclaimers.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
When Link woke, the sun was shining through the windows of the cabin. Shadow was gone, but Baba sniffed his fingers   
and barked happily. Link laughed at the wolf-dog's antics. Getting up was not a problem, but Link was still a bit stiff as   
he made his way outside. There, he found Shadow tending to a few horses. They were all wild, he could see, but the way they   
acted around Shadow was the way Epona always acted around him. "So, our friend has woken up this morning!" Shadow addressed   
the horses before turning around. "Ready to go?" "Where are we?" "My humble home, a ways outside Kakariko." Shadow   
gestured, and two horses wearing saddles trotted away from the herd. "C'mon, it's a far ride back to the Temple." Link   
found himself riding a red-gray mare, while Shadow guided a blood-bay stallion. The rest of the herd followed behind, Baba   
on their heels. As they rode to and past Kakariko, Shadow filled Link in on how well Hyrule was _really_ doing. It was   
shocking, to say the least. Besides the Drakes, and Gerudo raids, not to mention overall misery, it was a wonder this world   
was still standing. "And I haven't even bothered checking elsewhere," Shadow said, "One decaying realm is enough, thank   
you." They made it to the Temple by nightfall. Baba was upset to let his new friend go. "Oh, Baba if you love him so much   
I'll give him one of his own! Will you stop crying!" Baba barked and began running in circles. "How that boy's lived so   
long is beyond me," Shadow laughed as he handed Link a bag. It was very heavy. "Don't open that until you get to the Lost   
Woods, if you want Baba to stay friends with you." As Link made for the Pedestal, Shadow handed him a final piece of advice.   
"Link…" Link turned. "Don't come here again. As nice as it is to see you…you must stay in your own time. None of _them_ can   
change this," Shadow indicated the outside world, "And they were never meant to." Link nodded before stabbing the Master   
Sword back into it's place. As the light took him, Shadow whispered, "Goodbye…Gatekeeper."  
Everything was a mess! Lace was very frustrated. All her work, shot to pieces! Not three days after Link goes   
away, the King of Evil walks right in! Lace, Zelda, and the Surbrosians had been sitting around the Castle when Ganondorf   
had made his presence known. He could have caused major damage if the Sages hadn't been waiting for him. Now, no one knew   
where he was. The Surbrosians, after recovering from their shyness-induced heart attacks, had moved into Goron City. Zelda   
was busy, and Lace couldn't wait for her brother at the Temple. "Navi, what should we do?" Navi flew out of Lace's hair.   
"Maybe we should check on the Kokiri?" "Better than nothing," Lace muttered as she rode Quill into the forest. Not too many   
problems here - in fact, the whole ordeal had really whipped Mido into shape. "Hey Lace, do you what's going on?" he asked   
her. Mido and the rest of the True Kokiri couldn't leave the woods, so they depended on her for updates. She had just   
finished filling them in when one of the Know-it-all brothers ran in from Lost Woods. "He's back, he's back!" he yelled. He   
was followed by a much slower Link. "Link!" Everybody ran up to him and started babbling. "One at a time, one at a time!"   
he tried to call over the noise. Mido ran up, and yelled at the Kokiri. They went back to work, and Mido took Lace and Link   
inside his house so they could talk. Link explained the sorry state the Other Hyrule was in. "Oh, when I opened his   
package, I found this. Here you go." Link handed them each a small package with their names on it. Mido's was a sling and   
stone set, plus a note saying he shouldn't pick on people. Lace's was a small silver dagger, plus a note saying that Shadow   
was sorry not to have met her. Link showed them his - it was a Giant Deku seed, wrapped in gold cloth, with instructions.   
The note said it was a gift from the Great Deku Tree of old, nothing else. "That's really valuable!" Mido said. "Giant   
seeds are impossible to find anymore! They're called Tears of the Forest." Link gave his gift to Mido for safekeeping.   
"This is great! Oh, but now I gotta get back to work!" Mido went to help the Kokiri. They were all preparing for any   
attacks by Ganondorf. Lace led Link back to her horse, and (surprise surprise) Epona was waiting next to him. As they rode   
to Hyrule Castle, Lace filled Link in. They had just made it to the gates when it began.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Tulip-Jin: Yes, I _am_ leaving this with a cliffhanger. Maybe _that'll_ inspire some of you peeps to review! 'Cause I'm not updating until you do! 


	10. Ballad of the Wind Fish

Yami Tulip-Jin: Okay, apparently our standards have sunken _really_ low by this point...  
  
Tulip-Jin: Hey, at least they DID review. I can't help it if it was a flame.  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawwwwwr rawr rawr. Rawwwwwr rawwwr rawr. (Well, we've fixed the spacing thing. So hopefully, the next review won't be about how bad our fic looks.)  
  
Tulip-Jin: -_-;;  
Sign: If someone here owned Zelda, don't you think we'd be able to do a better job then this? Well? Don't you?  
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Fire began raining from the sky. It set houses ablaze, and people were running and screaming.  
  
"It's him! Hurry!"  
  
The town fire brigade was just able to cope with this twist in the weather, so Lace and Link rode to the castle. They ran in, only to be confronted by Stalfos, Moblins, and other monsters.  
  
"We have to get to Zelda!"  
  
Lace yelled over the sounds of battle.  
  
"You go this way and we'll go this way!"  
  
They fought their ways through the corridors. Lace was just about to get hit from behind when the Moblin was taken out by a wave of magic. Turning, Lace saw Sheik.  
  
"We need to leave!"  
  
"We can't! Ganondorf is in the North Wing!"  
  
"Oh goddesses, Link went that way!"  
  
They ran after him.  
Link was getting in over his head.  
  
'I need to distract them but - wait!'  
  
Link interrupted his own thought. He still had his rings, didn't he? Ducking around a corner, he slipped on one and turned into a Moblin. His pursuit dashed around behind him and paused.  
  
"He went that way!" Link pointed.  
  
"Get little guy! Go now!" Yelled the lead Moblin, and they all ran down the hallway.  
  
Link was smirking to himself as he ran in the opposite direction. Pausing to take off the ring, he slipped into a side room as more enemies ran by.  
  
So Ganondorf was looking for him, was he? Link laughed to himself. He was actually having fun! He knew the feeling was FD's influence, but still…  
  
Link readied his Longshot and arrows before running to the Banquet Hall. He used his equipment to cling to a rafter where no one could see him, and started shooting.  
  
Ho hum, just another day's work…then HE showed up.  
Ganondorf strode into the Hall, looking like the King of the World. Which was probably how he saw himself.  
  
Link decided he'd rather watch than attract any attention, so he put away his bow and arrows. As he watched from his hiding place, he saw all sort of monsters coming to attention.  
  
"Have you found them?" Ganondorf addressed a Dinofols.  
  
The monster said, "Not yet, Sssssssirrrrrre. They rrrrrrun frrrrrrrom usssssss."  
  
"I do not want excuses!"  
  
Ganondorf blasted the Dinofols, who screamed as his flesh was roasted away.  
  
"I came here for the other pieces of the Triforce, and I will not tolerate failure!"  
  
A Moblin ran up.  
  
"Master, we control Castle. No one leave we don't see. No one escape alive."  
  
"Good news for once? Excellent. Search the buildings and grounds. Bring the Princess and boy to me. If they die, bring their bodies!"  
  
The monsters bowed and ran off, except the Redead. Ganondorf walked into the North Tower while they surrounded the door.  
  
"Oh goody. I always wanted to be on a hit list," Link said softly as he headed for the ceiling doors.  
  
Any smart ruler will have a series of secret passageways and exits in a castle for such emergencies. Link, of course, knew them all. He knew them better than the King did, but he never said that to his face.  
  
Through a concealed door, down a ladder, and here was a peephole. Looking through the eyes of the stone carving that concealed it, Link saw a party of Lizafols chasing two people.  
  
Specifically, his sister and Sheik. Link raced through the maze of tunnels to the room where they had barricaded themselves in.  
  
"This door won't last long," Lace said worriedly.  
  
"Long enough," whispered a voice in her ear.  
  
"AHHHH! LINK, THAT WAS NOT FUNNY!"  
  
Link was holding his sides and laughing at his sister's face.  
  
"Link, I think this isn't the time for that," Sheik said.  
  
"Yes, but it was worth it. Come on. Or did you forget about the back way out?"  
  
Link indicated the hidden floor panel he'd come in through. As Sheik and Lace climbed in, Link broke the window to make it seem like they'd escaped that way, and dived in the hole as the door buckled.  
  
Mere minutes later, all three of them were in the dungeons. Link told them what he had overheard as they caught their breath.  
  
"Great. He still wants the Triforce? Beautiful." Sheik sounded disgusted.  
  
"Can't we escape?" Lace asked.  
  
"He's still looking for us. If he finds out that we've managed to get away, what do you think his next move would be?"   
  
"Oh boy, thanks for cheering me up, Link."  
  
"At least the Royal Family was already safe before he got here."  
  
"We need to find out what he's going to do now. Finding the Stone would be helpful."  
  
Link suggested they all use the tunnels to search the Castle for clues, or at least harass some of Ganondorf's troops. Sheik and Lace went to the Southern and Eastern Parts of the castle.  
Link quickly came up dry in the Western part before the obvious hit him.  
  
He slipped on another ring, and turned into a Surbrosian. Cane had mentioned that the Stone was very obvious to Surbrosians, and Link was going to prove it.  
  
As a midget Surbrosian, Link easily scurried through tunnels until he entered the North Tower. Ganondorf had made his quarters in big room on the top floor.  
  
Right now Link couldn't believe his eyes. The mighty evil king was asleep. And he was snoring?  
  
Link was very stealthy as he crept into the room.  
  
Yes, Ganondorf was flat on his back, snoring and mumbling in his dreams. But what no one else would have noticed was the glow.  
  
A patch on his chest was glowing like a fresh lava vein. It turned out to be a big glowing rock tied to a string. Link considered taking it before remembering that, evil king or not, Ganondorf was a Gerudo first. Surbrosians just weren't designed for theft.  
  
Link paused as Ganondorf mumbled something in his sleep.  
  
"…no father…I'll wait here…"  
  
Link stared, incredulous. A Gerudo male was only born once every hundred years. Ganondorf couldn't have had a father, no Gerudo did.  
  
"…stop it, don't make me anymore…I don't want to hurt people, Master no!…"  
  
Link came back to reality and left.  
  
'Who is '_Master_'?'  
  
Link's brain hurt as he went back through the tunnels. Something Nabooru had once said struck him.   
//"He was a fine boy as a child. Loved exploring, gentle as a fly."  
  
She had sighed.  
  
"But, when he came of Naming Age…something happened to him. The nice boy I knew was gone. Instead, we had a man with nothing but evil in his heart. Even the way he looked changed That isn't something that happens overnight…"//  
She had then asked him not to mention this to anyone. He never had. He'd practically forgotten it.  
  
Link stopped. He was at the library exit. No one was there, so Link took off the ring and went in. Most of the books had been ripped up.  
  
But Link found the one on languages he'd seen before. He flipped to the Gerudo translations.  
  
"Gainon: old tongue. Meaning darkness mastery, of one who is in complete control parasitically. Modern translation pronounced as 'Ga-non'."  
  
Puzzled, Link went to meet with the others.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Tulip-Jin: Ooh, suspensy, ain't it? I'd like a real review and not a flame for the next chapter, you know. R&Ring won't kill you - but my Yami might... 


	11. Saria's Song

Tulip-Jin: Yippee! Somebody likes me!  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Now, what foolish mortal has been giving you _that_ idea, Aibou?  
  
TJ: Grrrrrrrr....  
  
Yami TJ: O_O Oops... *flees*  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawr. Raaaawwwwwwwwrrrrrrr rawr rawr rawr rrrawwwwwrr. (*Sigh* There they go again, it's a wonder both of them are still alive.)  
Disclaimer: What part of 'I only own Lace and the plotline' CAN'T YOU FIGURE OUT?!?!?!?!?!  
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It was a day later. While under the cover of darkness, three figures slipped into the moat outside town.  
  
"Did we have to go this way?" Navi whined from her hiding place.  
  
"Shh!"  
  
They let themselves float downstream a ways before climbing onto the bank.  
  
"I told you it would work," Link whispered.  
  
He pulled out his Ocarina and played a tune none of them had ever heard before. They all disappeared in a burst of feathers as a horde of monsters converged on the place. They materialized in front of the Temple of Time.  
  
"What was that?" Zelda asked as she wrung out her hair.  
  
"Song of Soaring. Picked it up in Terminia," Link said offhandedly.  
  
While they had escaped, Link had explained what he had found. Zelda had been intrigued by his tales of Holodrum and Labrynna, while Lace kept wanting to try his rings.  
  
"What now? Ganondorf still has the Stone. Don't you think he'll find his way here?"  
  
"Nope. The same type of magic that makes up the Lost Woods protects this place."  
  
They decided to take a much needed break, and sat around in front of the Temple doorway.  
A few hours later, Lace sat up to find everyone else asleep. Even Navi was asleep.  
  
Lace stood up and looked around. Something had woken her, and it was coming from the Temple.  
  
Stepping over her brother, who was writhing and crying in his own dreams, Lace made her way into the Temple.  
  
She stood before the Spiritual Stones and watched them as they spun. The song they sang seemed to captivate her senses.  
  
Lace thought she could almost hear words in the song. Without noticing it, she pulled out her flute (a gift from a Skull kid she'd met) and played along. When the impromptu concert ended, Lace was startled to see the stones float up and start spinning around her head.  
  
The nameless song they sang changed, and Lace played it dutifully. She had just committed it to memory when a blinding light hit her.  
  
She found herself opening her eyes. She was outside the Temple! It had been _another_ dream. Lace rubbed her eyes, irritated.  
  
She had never breathed a word to anyone about these. Unlike Link, she didn't get nightmares - just visions. Usually they were happy visions, about people being in love and living everyday lives.  
  
But every one in a while, they'd be just plain weird. Like, when she had first met Link, she'd had visions for a year, seeing everything he'd done first hand.  
  
'Oh well, that's fate.'  
  
Lace sighed, then picked up the still sleeping Navi gently. Reaching over, Lace gently shook Navi's fairy dust over her brother's face.  
  
"…Ah…ah…AH…AHCHOO!"  
  
Link sneezed all over Navi, waking both of them up and starting a terrific fight. Lace laughed her head off while Zelda woke up.  
  
"…Lace, what are they doing?" Zelda asked uncertainly.  
  
"Being the backside of my favorite prank!" Lace giggled.  
  
"Yeah, and didn't Saria tell you to stop doing that?" Navi buzzed angrily.  
  
"Maybe. But it was just too easy!"  
  
Lace was laughing again, until Link emptied a bottle of water on her head.  
  
"Fresh Spring Water. Complements of the Swamp Spider House," Link giggled while Lace started yelling insults at him in Gerudo.  
  
"She's been hanging out with Menandorf for _too_ long," Navi whispered to Zelda. 


	12. Goron's Lullaby

Tulip-Jin: @_@  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Oh great, I _told_ her not to stay up _all_night_ watching that show...  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawwr? Rawr rawr raaawwwwrrrr? (Huh? You mean the one with the half-demon guy?)  
  
Yami TJ: Yep, and I don't see what's so great about him anyway.  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Rawwwwwr rawr rawr rawr rrraawwwrr rawr? (Weren't you the one screaming, 'YOU KILLEE HIM DEAD!' during every _single_ fighting scene?)  
  
Yami TJ: _ I couldn't help it - That giant sword was so AWESOME! Hmm, I wonder where I can get me one of those...  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: -_-;; Rawr... (Sigh...)  
  
Disclaimer: Go look at the last eleven chapters, oh yea of little faith  
  
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Once everyone was calm and dry, they got to business. Link told Zelda about the Other Hyrule, and she wanted to go help them.  
  
"Zelda? Don't. You won't be able to do anything, he _said_ as much."  
  
Then they tried to figure out how to stop Ganondorf. Link had yet to share his speculations on Ganondorf's sleep-induced mumblings, because he knew they wouldn't be taken seriously.  
  
"Do you think we should talk to Rosa?" Lace asked. "She is in charge of Surbrosia, isn't she?"  
  
Link laughed at that statement.  
  
"Nope, she's just a celebrity. No one person rules Surbrosia. She just says she's in charge because she's their greatest celebrity and everyone else worships the dirt she walks on. All Surbrosians know of the powers of the Golem Stone, but most are too shy aboveground to say anything."  
  
"We should ask all of them, then. We sent them to Goron City."  
  
"Okay, then…we'll go this way."  
  
Link lead them through a opening in the wall, and suddenly they were in an unused room of Goron City. As she looked back, Zelda saw the opening disappear. The group made their way down to Darunia's room, where a young Goron stopped them.  
  
"Hey, you guys can't - oh wait. Hi Uncle Link!"  
  
"Hey Link. We need to see Rosa and her friends."  
  
"You guys better have tunics! They insisted on going to the crater. Don't worry, Daddy fixed the bridge."  
  
As they made their way down the next corridor, the others had one question.  
  
"_UNCLE_?"  
  
"He's Darunia's kid. He named him after me, and since Darunia and I are Sworn Brothers…"  
  
He shrugged, stopping right in front of the big statue in the room. It had been pulled out and a terrific heat was coming from behind it. Lace pulled on her Goron Tunic while Zelda turned into Sheik. If Link was wearing his tunic it was completely hidden under his big cloak. They walked right through the tunnel.  
  
"Man, it's hotter than ever!" Navi yelped before seeking refuge under Lace's tunic.  
  
Death Mountain was very active. It wasn't going to erupt, but the lava was very high and spurts kept shooting up. A short walk down the repaired, fire proof bridge revealed a rather large gaggle of Surbrosians shipping lava from place to place.  
  
"Hey Link!" Rosa scurried up. "It's just like home. Did you find it?"  
  
"Yes, he has it. He's wearing it around his neck on a string."  
  
Rosa pouted before remembering the cup of lava she was holding.  
  
"We can make a vacation place here!"  
  
She giggled as she slurped the lava.  
  
"The stuff in the Temple's even better!"  
  
As Rosa wandered off, Sheik whispered, "Did she just-"  
  
"Yep. They eat lava the way Gorons eat rocks."  
  
As his friends went to explore the setup the Surbrosians had created, Link wandered over to his friend Cane.  
  
"I take it there's an entrance under the magma?" Link asked amicably.  
  
"Yes. I know we should have asked, but…"  
  
"Don't worry about it. Surbrosians will live aboveground eventually. This is merely the beginning."  
  
Cane giggled under his hood.  
  
"I hope the Sage of Fire doesn't mind guided tours in his Temple!"  
  
"I think you'd better talk Rosa out of that one."  
  
Link and Cane sat down apart from the group. While Link stared at the rolling mass of melted rock, Cane filled him in on the true destructive powers of the Golem Stone. It was all part of an ancient legend.  
  
//The Golem Stone was formed in the fiery birth of the worlds. Every world's fire was part of the Stone, and thus it controlled all Fire. Not just the flames like on a candle, but the deep Fire that is the heart of every world.  
  
When the Chosen One wields the stone, the fires they will control shall bring a time of paradise. But before the Stone find it's true master it will give it's power's freely.  
  
When one uses the Stone, it will give them powers to do whatever they wish. A wielder may use this gift for good, and a time of prosperity and peace shall befall them. If an evil one wields the Golem Stone, the chaos they will unleash shall destroy all.  
  
The gods and goddesses, knowing this, hid the Stone for the Chosen One and blessed a race to watch over it. They were the Surbrosians, a secret, hidden people.  
  
They laid the Stone in the fires of Vulia-Cuin, and it formed the basis of their world. They told no one of the Stone, for fear it might be taken.  
  
Only the power of a True force wielder could stop the forces of chaos unleashed by an evil wielder, but such a person shall not come to pass for generations yet. So is the truth passed down by those blessed by the Fires…//  
  
"Wow," was all Link had to say.  
  
That little bit of history seemed to have been misplaced by the Sheikah.  
  
"Don't worry," Cane said knowingly. "No one outside Surbrosia has ever heard this tale. You and your friends are the first," and Link realized that Sheik and Lace were sitting next to them.  
  
"But I must warn you, please don't tell anyone this unless it's their right to know."  
  
Cane got up and went back to shipping lava.  
  
As they wandered back to the exit, Lace noticed a tiny disc on the ground. It was a reddish silver color, and inscribed on it was a shape - a tiny circle with three curving lines extending from it.  
  
Each line had three symbols. On one was the symbol of forest, another line had water, and the third line carried fire.  
  
Lace didn't know the other markings, so she tucked her find into her pack and forgot about it.  
  
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Hastily Erected Sign: Comments? Speculation? Insults? R&R! 


	13. Song of the Stones

Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawwr! Rawr rawr rawr rawr rrrraawwwwrrrr! (Hi! I'm here to welcome you all to a brand new chapter!)  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Which is normally Aibou's job...she's so dang superstious!  
  
In corner: *Tulip-Jin is surrounded by garlic, salt, rabbits, and a large pile of four-leaf clovers*  
  
Yami TJ: Just cause it's chapter number 1-3, she think's it might be unlucky...  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Rawwwwwwwr rawr rawr? (And you have horseshoes around your neck why?)  
  
Yami TJ: Hey, it never hurts to be prepared!  
  
Disclaimer: FIGURE IT OUT ALREADY GENIUS!  
  
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"So, now what?" Zelda asked.  
  
"I really don't have any idea. All we know for sure is that if Ganondorf uses the Stone at full power it's all over. On the other hand, that would kill him too…"  
  
"Not much of a bonus, huh?"  
  
Link gave her weak grin. Just then, the ground shook.  
  
"What is he doing?"  
  
A Goron rolled up.  
  
"Ganondorf's attacking Kakariko!" he yelled as he rolled past.  
  
"We have to try and stop him, c'mon!"  
  
Link and Zelda raced off. Lace pouted and stayed where she was. She knew she was probably no match for whatever was happening. Navi hovered nearby.  
  
"I want to help them, but what can we do?" Navi said miserably.  
  
"We could play cards or something…"  
  
Lace gave a half-hearted laugh.  
  
"I wish we could ask someone about all this…" Navi was saying when it hit both of them.  
  
Of course!  
  
They ran like crazy, up some stairs and down a tunnel that opened into the Lost Woods. Randomly choosing an exit, they dashed past the village and down the path to the Great Deku Tree's Meadow.  
  
They panted as they stopped in front of the Sapling.  
  
"Why are you running around like this, my dears?" The Deku Sapling asked them.  
  
"We want-to ask you-about the-Golem Stone." Lace gasped out between breaths.  
  
"The Golem Stone? Oh dear. This day came sooner than I thought…"  
  
"What do you mean?" Navi chirped.  
  
"Young ones, do you know the story of the Great Deku Tree?"  
  
"Yes. The Great Deku Tree was created in the beginning to be the Guardian Spirit of the Forest. Then Ganondorf cursed him, and he gave Link the Kokiri's Emerald before he died. When Ganondorf's evil was locked away, you grew in the shadows of the Deku Tree."  
  
Lace was puzzled. What did that have to do with the Golem Stone?  
  
"Child, that is what everyone knows. But you are going to hear a bit of my history that only I know."  
  
He paused.  
  
"True, I sprouted in the shadow of the Tree. But what I have told no one is that I really am the Great Deku Tree."  
  
"What? But he died! Link and I watched while it happened!" Navi buzzed. "How could you be he?"  
  
"Simple. It was not a true killing curse. It sapped my voice and strength, locked me away within my own bark. For those seven years Link slept, I locked all that I could of myself into a seed. It sprouted once the Forest Temple was cleansed."  
  
The Sapling paused, letting this sink in.  
  
"When the Evil King was sealed away and those seven years lost, my seed here sprouted immediately. I am the seed of the Tree, but I am not complete, for the curse's magic remains."  
  
"You mean, part of you is still locked in there, watching us?" Lace pointed to the giant, blackened tree in the center of the Meadow.  
  
Unbidden, an old memory surfaced. Lace remembered being afraid one night. She'd snuck out of the village, passed the Sapling unseen, and lay curled up at the Tree's roots. She had lay there, crying, for a hour before a sudden sense of something had washed over her, calming her down. She distinctly remembered giving the Tree a hug before sneaking back home.  
  
Lace shook her head as she glanced at the darkened Tree.  
  
"Yes. And now I will get to what this has to do with the Golem Stone."  
  
The Sapling cut off Navi's comment before she thought about making it.  
  
"As I am, I can do nothing. But if I can be restored, then my powers can aid you and Link immensely."  
  
"What must we do?"  
  
Lace jumped up excitedly.  
  
"All I know is to have you 'Seek three keys and they shall guide thee.' Sorry."  
  
"Don't be. I have a good idea what you mean. Uh, one more thing. What can we do about Ganondorf? I mean, he and Zelda and my brother are probably fighting right now…"  
  
"Don't worry," reassured the Sapling, "Right now, they are only fighting Ganondorf's minions. I can sense the Evil One watching for his own entertainment."  
  
He paused.  
  
"And one in anguish? What? Two as in one? My dears, you must hurry. Seek your 'keys' while I figure this out. Good luck!"  
  
Lace dashed off as the Sapling mused his own observations.  
  
"Okay, so what are the 'keys'?" Navi asked.  
  
Lace stopped by her house to catch her breath. Her house (Which was hollowed out of the tree right below Link's) was very cluttered. Lace pushed some stuff off a chair so she could sit.  
  
"Well, this kind of a guess, but you remember when you and Link had to go collect Spiritual Stones?"  
  
"Yeah, what about it? We had to get them so Ganondorf couldn't get the keys to the Door of Time-"  
  
Navi paused.  
  
"I just said 'keys', didn't I?"  
  
Lace laughed.  
  
"Oh yeah. Now if we could just get to the Temple of Time, everything would be set."  
  
"Hey, I know!" Navi flew up the ladder, followed by her partner.  
  
"Why are we in Link's house?"  
  
"Look under here. There should be a box!"  
  
Navi perched on the bed. Lace pulled a box out from under it. Inside were a couple books.  
  
"Open the one with the music note," Navi instructed.  
  
Inscribed on the pages were ocarina songs! With each song was a description of where Link had learned it and what the song did. Lace flipped through until she found one called 'Prelude to Light'.  
  
After Lace memorized it, she put everything the way she had found it before stepping onto the balcony.  
  
"Here goes!" Lace said as she played the song with her flute.  
  
Everything was swept up in a whirl of bright yellow light - and the next thing they knew they were on the marker inside the Temple of Time.  
  
"What a rush!" Lace said.  
  
"Ugh. I forgot how nauseating that was…" Navi landed on Lace's shoulder.  
  
The two of them walked to the pedestal holding the Stones. As the Stones spun and sang, Lace was a bit confused.  
  
"Now what?" she asked Navi.  
  
"No idea," Navi said.  
  
Lace thought for a moment, before pulling out her flute again.  
  
"I suppose this won't hurt anything…"  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Relax, I heard this in a dream."  
  
Navi fluttered anxiously as Lace played the song she had learned in her dream. Once she finished, the Temple was deathly silent.  
  
The Stones had stopped singing. They glowed, and suddenly Lace and Navi heard a voice.  
  
"You have played the Song of the Stones. What is it you seek?"  
  
It seemed to be coming from all three Stones at once. Navi looked at Lace, who shrugged. Lace cleared her throat.  
  
"We seek aid, on behalf of the Great Deku Tree."  
  
"Child of Fate, we will help thee. Return us to our rightful posts in the opposite order in which we left them. When thou has finished, we shall speak again."  
  
The Stones began singing again as they flew up into the air. As the Door of Time began closing, a bright blue light passed through. It turned into a small blue stick that flew with the Stones into Lace's bag.  
  
"Okay, now where?" Lace asked as she turned to Navi.  
  
"If it's reverse order…then go to Zora's Fountain!"  
  
They walked to the wall of holes.  
  
"Pick one," Navi said.  
  
They did, only to find themselves in the entrance to the Sacred Forest Meadow.  
  
"Okay, there's a shortcut to the waterfall entrance of Zora's Domain down here!"  
  
Navi said as the two of them dived down the big pool in the Lost Woods. Lace played Zelda's Lullaby to get past the waterfall, then ran past the many Zoras to the Throne Room.  
  
"Why hello, young one. Odd time for a visit, isn't it?" said King Zora the XXXXXXXXVII.  
  
"Yes your Highness. I need to go to the Fountain, please. I have to restore the Sapphire!"  
  
King Zora's eyes went very wide.  
  
"Of course! This way!"  
  
King Zora (who was a lot thinner than some of his predecessors) lead them to the Fountain.  
  
"If you wish to restore the Stone, take it to the platform."  
  
Lace did so. The Sapphire flew out, there was a blinding flash of blue light- and the Stone spun in place and sang on top of a pillar that had not been there before.  
  
And, with a splash, a giant fish stuck his head out of the water and bellowed a greeting.  
  
"By Nayru! The story was true! Lord Jabu-Jabu has returned!" King Zora gave Lace a very wet hug before going to greet the Zora's Guardian Deity.  
  
"Okay, now back to Goron City!" 


	14. Sonata of Awakening

Yami Tulip-Jin: Okay, now this is getting ridiculous!  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Raaawwwr rawr rawr rawr. Rawwwr rawr, rrawr! (Maybe they thought reviewing would be bad luck. You two were acting so silly, you know!)  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Hey! Things like that can happen! We have proof!  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Rawr? Rawwwwr rrraawwwwrrrr rawr rawr. (Oh really? The proof had better be better than that picture of a half-melted frying pan with crisped hambuger in it that you two were trying to pass off as a UFO.)  
  
Tulip-Jin: But it WAS one! A real live Unidentified Frying Object!  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: 9_9()  
  
Disclaimer: We only own Lace and few other characters, not Zelda! But mark my words, soon all three pieces of the Triforce will be mine! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Then I will RULE THE WORLD!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A swim and a tunnel later, Lace balanced on the rope very carefully. It was a bit tricky, but she made it to the hanging platform suspended over the heart of Goron City. The Goron's Ruby flew to it's holder with a flash of red light. All the Gorons still there started cheering and dancing.  
  
"Now to the Deku Tree!" Navi cried happily.  
  
Lace was getting a bit winded as they ran back through Lost Woods. She paused to breathe, and Mido ran up.  
  
"What are you doing, running a marathon? If you have so much free time, you should be working!"  
  
Not having the energy to be intimidating, Lace tried to ignore him. Fat chance. He stuck his face right in hers.  
  
"Hello in there! What are you doing, anyway?"  
  
"Restoring the Deku Tree."  
  
Mido looked a bit pale. Then to her astonishment, he said, "If there's anything I can do, name it! If it's for the Deku Tree, I'll help any way I can!"  
  
He thought for a moment, ran inside his house, and came back holding the Giant Deku Seed.  
  
"This might help," he said.  
  
"Sure, can you carry it? I'm completely beat," Lace said as she forced herself upright.  
  
With a bit of help from Mido (who'da thunk it?), Lace hobbled back to the Deku Sapling.  
  
The Kokiri's Emerald floated out, and hovered in the space between the two trees.  
  
"Thank you," called the voice of the Stones. "Now, we are restored and will helpest thou in all manners possible!"  
  
There was a really big flash of dazzling green light. When it faded, the Deku Sapling was gone. And the Great Deku Tree was no longer black. It was a wonderful, healthy green! It's leaves were big and a darker shade, and a feeling of immense age and greater wisdom filled the air once more.  
  
"My children, I am restored!" said the Great Deku Tree.  
  
All the Kokiri had followed Mido and Lace down the path, and now all of them ran to the base of the Tree, cheering and crying and laughing and generally acting like kids who've just received the greatest gift ever. Mido and Lace gave each other looks before joining in.  
  
It took a few hours for the Kokiri to calm down and go home. Only Mido and Lace stayed with the Tree.  
  
"My dear, thank you for thy kind act. And now I shall aid thee like I promised. Mido!"  
  
Mido stepped forward, still holding the Deku Seed.  
  
"Hold out thy burden."  
  
As Mido held the seed aloft, it glowed a blue-green color.  
  
"I have infused this Seed with my power. Use it well."  
  
Mido gave Lace the seed before running off to the village. They could already hear what sounded like a rowdy party through the trees.  
  
"Now, my dear, as to thy question of the Golem Stone? Thou have been told the Legend, correct? Then thou must know that only one with powers of Fire can use it. Take from thy enemy what allows this, and he shall have it's powers no longer."  
  
"But how do we take the Triforce of Power from Ganondorf? He's stronger than us!" Navi chirped.  
  
"I have sensed one who can do this. The Evil One, fearing such power, imprisoned this person within himself much as he did me. If you release him, the Triforce of Power shall follow thee and grace the Evil One no longer. Then, thy brother and friends shall triumph."  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence.  
  
"…um, Great Deku Tree? Uh…about that night…"  
  
"Worry not, my child. I told thee as much then. Many thanks for thy affections, but now is no time to speak of them. Thy friends and family are within Kakariko. I sense much suffering. Go to them, give the Child of Destiny my greetings and Seed. Child of Fate, I wish thee well on thy journey."  
  
Lace giggled, just like she had whenever she did something new as a young girl, before setting off for Kakariko Village.  
  
Kakariko was a mess! And it smelled even worse. There were Lizafols and Moblin bodies being carted out of town, people putting out stray fires, and many wounded.  
  
Lace jumped and caught a man who was trying to walk with a big cut down his leg.  
  
"Here sir, let me help. It's not broken, but you need to be careful on it," she said reassuringly as she bandaged it.  
  
"Thank you, young lady. You're the first today who had extra bandages. Only seriously wounded people get bandages, and we've had so many injured…"  
  
the man, with Lace's help, limped to his home.  
  
"You're welcome, sir. Do you know where I might find the Duchess?"  
  
The man pointed her to a nearby house. Lace scurried to it, and was greeted by a relieved Impa.  
  
"I was worried when you didn't show up for the fight! In here, then."  
  
Inside, Lace saw Zelda with a few cuts, and her brother on a bed with a lot more.  
  
"Link!"  
  
Lace ran right over. Navi buzzed around his head.  
  
"What have I told you about getting yourself killed! You would have ruined the entire day! Now apologize for making your sister worry!"  
  
Link laughed for a moment before winching.  
  
"Shut up Navi. How bad is it?" Lace plopped herself on a chair as she asked them.  
  
"Just a few scrapes," Zelda said.  
  
"Some cuts, a head injury, nothing too serious," Link remarked.  
  
"Hah! You're just lucky that I brought lots of lovely potions with me!"  
  
Lace pulled out a dozen random bottles holding Poes, Bugs, and Milk before pulling out some red, green, and blue potions.  
  
"Don't you make that gagging sound, I got these at the Magic Hags!"  
  
Grimacing, Link downed a blue potion while Zelda gingerly sipped a green one.  
  
"Lace, what would I ever do without you?" Impa said happily. "Due to the medicine shortage, I wasn't able to doctor them properly before!"  
  
Impa, Lace, and Navi shared a moment of evil laughter while Zelda and Link made little sounds of distress.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Okay, 14 is a good number. Review it now...or rest in pieces. *huggles Giant Mallet of Doom* 


	15. Song of Healing

Tulip-Jin: YIPPEE! YAHOO! IT'S A MIRACLE!  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawr rawr rawr raaawwwrrr. (It's about time the power came back on.)  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Yep yep, a whole weekend without power is a weekend too long to spend around TJ with no distractions.  
  
Tulip-Jin: And now, my mighty denizens of the moldy refridgerator, it is time for our conquest! We shall march on the capital and LEAVE NO ONE STANDING! VICTORY SHALL BE OURS! I SHALL BE THE QUEEN OF THE GARBAGE-FILLED KITCHEN APPLIANCES! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: O_O  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: And _you_ haven't been stuck in the same house with her for the last four days. This is _nuthin'_.  
  
Disclaimer: Me no owniee!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Just a day later, both of them were going strong. Impa had gone back to the Shadow Temple, and repairs to Kakariko were well under way. Now Link and Zelda left before dawn to go to the forest.  
  
"Are you certain that leaving them behind was a good idea?" Zelda whispered.  
  
"Well, if we hurry, Lace and Navi won't notice we left," Link whispered back.  
  
"Why are we whispering?" whispered a voice behind them.  
  
They jumped and turned to see Lace standing and looking pretty annoyed.  
  
"Don't tell me, you were only going to the forest to visit, right?" Lace said condescendingly.  
  
"Maybe pick up a package or two? _Hello_, I was running around in the forest while you guys were fighting. Oh, by the way, I restored the Great Deku Tree. He told me to tell you hi, and give you this."  
  
Lace handed over the still glowing Giant Deku Seed, enjoying the looks of disbelief.  
  
"You did _what_?!"  
  
"Restored the Great Deku Tree. I think if you want to go to the welcome back party, it should be getting pretty good by now. I never knew Mido was such a good drummer," Lace said wistfully.  
  
"Oh, and the Great Deku Tree also told me how to defeat Ganondorf. But for trying to sneak away you guys have to buy me and Navi an apology breakfast," Lace turned on her heels and marched to the nearest restaurant.  
  
"Link, I'm telling her this was your idea," Zelda whispered.  
  
He gave her a wounded look. After a few plates of pan-fried Teltikite strips, Lace told them what she knew.  
  
"So, how do we release this person?" Zelda said.  
  
"I think we're supposed to use the Seed somehow. Hey, big bro."  
  
Link looked up from his breakfast.  
  
"Didn't you say something about using a 'Maku' Seed once?"  
  
"Yes. I think the Deku Seed works the same way."  
  
"Link can hold the seed, then."  
  
Lace enjoyed another bite of her food.  
  
"So, do we lure him out or what?"  
  
"Fighting away from people sounds pretty interesting now," Zelda said as she gazed upon the Kakarikans passing by.  
  
A day later, a group was sitting around in the far southern parts of Hyrule Field. It consisted of Link, Lace, Navi, Zelda, Rosa, Cane, Quill, Epona, and the two gray geldings for Zelda and the Surbrosians.  
  
"Do you think he's coming?" Navi whispered.  
  
"Are you kidding? The objects of his search, plus a couple expendable idiots? He will so be here."  
  
"Or he'll use the opportunity to wipe out the rest of Hyrule when we can't protect it," Navi hissed back.  
  
"Gee, you're really helping the mood, Miss Sunshine."  
  
Rosa and Cane were pacing nervously. Everyone was getting nervous. Suddenly, the sky blackened over with thunderclouds. "He's here," Link said calmly. With the usual flourish, Ganondorf appeared.  
  
"Hah! So, you thought you would have it out here and now? Or did I catch you running with your tails between your legs!" Ganondorf laughed. "I would ask if you were going to hand over your pieces willingly, but where's the fun in that?"  
  
With that, Ganondorf pulled out a big red sword. It was glowing, and it gave off an awful lot of heat.  
  
"The Sword of the Stone! Run, before it burns you up!"  
  
Rosa screamed before hiding behind the horses. Cane managed to keep from running.  
  
"No normal sword can handle the heat from the Stone-Sword for long!" Cane yelled to Link, who was unsheathing his Iron Sword.  
  
Undaunted, Link crossed swords with the Gerudo King. They sliced at each other, parrying often. They looked equally matched at first, but as Ganondorf's sword began heating up Link's Iron Sword Link started having trouble using it.  
  
Ganondorf drew first blood. His blade caused a nasty burn, whose searing pain forced Link to swallow a yell of agony. Link was losing faster with every swing.  
  
Suddenly, Lace remembered the stick she had found at the Temple of Time. She pulled it out. It was blue and shiny, just like the blade of the Master Sword. It felt like the Master Sword too, and what energies Lace could sense seemed to be trying to get to her brother.  
  
Zelda noticed the glowing and twitching stick.  
  
"Lace, what is that?"  
  
"I dunno. It came in through the Door of Time…"  
  
The blindingly obvious hit.  
  
"Zelda, can you sense if the path between times is closed?"  
  
Zelda looked confused, but checked.  
  
"It's not closed, but it's not open either. It's like the Master Sword sent it's power and most of it's physical self elsewhere…"  
  
Lace grinned.  
  
"Looks like the Sword knew it would be needed."  
  
Meanwhile, Link had just broken off. He stood, panting, while Ganondorf sneered.  
  
"You really thought you could beat me with that toy of yours? At least last time you used a _real_ sword."  
  
"SO TRY USING IT NOW!" Lace yelled as she threw the blue stick.  
  
Link caught it, and it turned into a ball of light that engulfed his sword. It turned his Iron Sword into the Master Sword!  
  
"How is that possible!!!"  
  
Ganondorf shrieked as Link swiped at him with the sacred blade.  
  
The Stone-Sword's heat had no effect on the Master Sword, and Link shattered the Stone-Sword's blade with one hit. Ganondorf stepped back, dropping the useless hilt he carried.  
  
"Oh well. Time for you to meet the full power of my new toy!"  
  
The Stone hanging from Ganondorf's neck flashed, and Ganondorf began to change. He turned into a giant version of Ganon, but with many arms, a few biting heads, and tentacles. As the ground shook, pillars of it seemed to merge with his body. Ganon was more of a building than a creature, but he still fired blasts of fiery lighting that everyone had to dodge.  
  
As all present dove into hiding, Ganon started slowly moving in the direction of Hyrule Castle.  
  
"He's not at full power," Cane reassured Zelda, "If he was, we wouldn't be here."  
  
Link was tending to the gash in his side.  
  
"Ugh," he mumbled as he washed the wound.  
  
"He's still looking for us as he moves. What if some of us stay here, and the others get in front of him?" Lace said.  
  
"Yeah, we still need to find the person who can remove the Triforce piece. I'll go, since Epona's the fastest."  
  
"I'm going too, and _Quill_ is the fastest here."  
  
They mounted and rode off - south, of course.  
  
After getting far enough, they veered west and north. The ride didn't leave a lot of time for conversation. It took some doing, but they got ahead of Ganon. Letting the horses run off, Link and Lace crept stealthily up to an opening in the base. Inside, Ganon was a maze of corridors and stairs.  
  
"Which way, I wonder?" Link murmured.  
  
"Check the Seed, I guess."  
  
Link pulled out the Giant Deku Seed. It was tugging gently to the left. They followed the path it drew them, Lace making sure to drop small markers to guide them back.  
  
"Do we even know what we're looking for?" Lace hissed.  
  
"Best guess is the Triforce of Power," he whispered back.  
  
A few more twists, a turn, and they reached the center. It was a big open space. In the middle was a weird plantlike thing. It seemed to be holding a person just a little older than Link looked. When they tried to get closer, a dark veil cast by the plants slammed them back.  
  
"This is what a giant seed is for," Link said as he stuck the Giant Deku Seed into the barrier.  
  
It glowed white, and with a loud bang the barrier disintegrated. The plant-thing holding the guy broke as well. He stared blankly at his rescuers.  
  
"Are you okay?" Lace whispered as she held him in a sitting position.  
  
"He's still here…you must leave quickly!"  
  
The boy's voice had a desert accent. As Link pulled him upright, a roaring voice emanated from the walls.  
  
"DROP HIM IF YOU WISH TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY!" It roared. "HE IS MINE!"  
  
"Not anymore, Ganon!" the boy cried.  
  
"WE WILL SEE ABOUT THAT!"  
  
The entire room shook and began falling apart.  
  
"Run!" Navi yelled, and they all ran.  
  
Link helped the boy until he found his footing. The corridors were shifting and they quickly got very lost. Finally, they were in a small cavern with no way out. But as the walls fell apart and the ceiling collapsed, a rainbow of light flooded the air and protected them.  
  
As Ganon kept breaking apart, they could clearly see the ring of Sages casting their spells.  
  
"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME WITH SUCH WEAK ENERGIES!" Ganon roared as he blasted wildly with his dark magic.  
  
Link, Lace, and the boy tumbled out of Ganon while the Sages took a big hit.  
  
"I will get rid of you once and for all!" Zelda cried as she focused the Triforce of Wisdom.  
  
Link felt the power of the FD wash over him, but for some reason he was still in complete control. Not one to question good fortune, he used his newfound power to channel the Triforce of Courage.  
  
It still wasn't enough - Ganon's crumbling form reared up and yelled, "YOU DO NOT HAVE THE POWER TO DEFEAT ME!"  
  
"Oh yes they do!" yelled the mysterious boy.  
  
He concentrated, and the Triforce mark on his hand glowed as he gave Link and Zelda a big power boost.  
  
"NO!" Ganon shrieked as he was ripped apart and blasted into oblivion.  
  
A few small chucks shot over the landscape as Ganon was sucked into the void between realms. With one last despairing cry, he was gone forever. A second later, the boy, Zelda, and Link all passed out from exhaustion. 


	16. Oath to Order

Tulip-Jin: YIPPEE! I FINISHED IT!  
  
Yami Tulip-Jin: Hooray, the fic is over. Well, except for this last part. *reads ahead* You lot might as well skip down to the review button now.  
  
TJ: Oh, Ya-Mi...  
  
*TJ attacks with the Millennium Mace. Yami TJ counters with the Giant Mallet of Doom. Cue swordfighting scene*  
  
Yami TJ: You have learned well, my young apprentance...  
  
TJ: You are mistaken. Now I am the master - and you're just an old guy that dies in the first movie! Hah!  
  
Yami TJ: O_O WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' AN OLD MAN?!?! NOW YOU MUST DIE!  
  
*Cue flamethrowers and chainsaws*  
  
Chibi Red Eyes Black Dragon: Rawwwwwwwr. Rawr rawr rawr rawr rawr. (Those two never change. Go ahead and read the last bit, before they end up landing on it.)  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own Zelda, just our own made-up characters (ya _think_???)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Link's vision was very blurry. He tried to move, to see where he was, but the slightest effort caused his head to throb. He gave out a small moan, and felt a damp cloth on his forehead.  
  
"Don't try to move yet, Link." Saria's face seemed to waver as he saw her.  
  
"...Saria?" Link mumbled before darkness took him again. The next time he opened his eyes, Link could see much better.  
  
"Oh, and how are we feeling today?" Saria stood beside him.  
  
"Like I've been run over by a horse. What happened?"  
  
"Well, after you three passed out, I was the only one with enough power to transport such a large group. So we're in the forest."  
  
Link gingerly sat up, and saw Zelda sleeping on a nearby mattress.  
  
"She's okay," Saria said. "Woke up earlier, kept asking if you were going to be okay."  
  
At this point, Zelda stirred.  
  
"Oh, I dozed off…" Zelda yawned. "Hi. How're you doing, Link?"  
  
"Slightly better than you, I think." Link sat on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Saria, what happened to the boy with the Triforce of Power?"  
  
"Your sister and Nabooru are taking care of him," Saria said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Okay, invalids, up we go!"  
  
With a bit of help, both 'invalids' were quite able to walk on their own. Going outside, Link was surprised to see the village seemingly deserted.  
  
"Where is everyone?"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
They turned to see a fairy zip over.  
  
"About time you woke up, sleepy heads!"  
  
Navi was fluttering with excitement.  
  
"The Great Deku Tree wants to see you!"  
  
Meanwhile, in the cluttered mess of Lace's house, the boy lay sleeping on the bed while Nabooru and Lace watched.  
  
"You know him, don't you?" Lace said suddenly, startling her companion.  
  
"Well…to be perfectly honest…yes," Nabooru said, "But it's not my place to tell you of his history."  
  
They turned to see the boy stirring. He sat up, rubbing his blond hair out of his eyes. It had the slightest hint of a red tint to it. His blue eyes took in everything quickly.  
  
"...Nabooru?" he said uncertainly.  
  
"Aye. Come on, up with you," Nabooru pulled the boy up.  
  
He had to lean on her, but was otherwise okay. As they maneuvered him outside, Navi flew up.  
  
"Hey! Hurry up! The others are already there!"  
  
As the boy got his footing, they quickly walked down the path to the Great Deku Tree's Meadow. There, they were greeted by the sight of the Great Deku Tree in all its splendor. Link, Zelda, the Surbrosians, and the other Sages were there too. As soon as everyone was together, the Tree spoke.  
  
"Thou has done well. The Evil One is no more."  
  
A pause.  
  
"Sage of Spirit, does thou wishest me to divulge this lad's tale?"  
  
"I can think of no one better," Nabooru said.  
  
"Very well. Bring him forward. Come forward, Link and Lace. This concerns thee also."  
  
The boy stood beside the Hero of Time and his sister.  
  
"Young one, doest thou remember thy name and heritage?"  
  
"Yes, sir. My parents named me Lupine."  
  
"Thou knowest thou art not a Gerudo, then. Lupine, doest thou remember thy parents?"  
  
"My father was a soldier when I saw him last. My mother…she was pregnant."  
  
"Good lad. I shall speak from here. Thy father died defending his wife and unborn children. With great an injury, thy mother sought her shelter in these woods."  
  
Lace gasped, and Link went pale.  
  
"Yes, my dears. Thy mother is the same. Lupine, you stand next to your blood."  
  
Lupine looked stunned.  
  
"Thy mother, fearing for their safety, gave them unto me. She spoke of an elder son, left behind in the desert. _Thou_ art this son. But thy life is puzzling. How did such a pestilence overcome thyself?"  
  
Lupine looked at the ground, ancient pain and shame etched on his features.  
  
"It matters not. Thou are not longer part of it. Lupine, seek shelter within thy family. Go now to the village, I sense you all are much overcome."  
  
They all walked slowly, partly from fatigue and partly from astonishment. Link and Lace walked beside their new brother.  
  
"And what's with the long faces?"  
  
Nabooru walked up, determined to break the mood.  
  
"You know, boy, I never did see you sad before. It always happy, happy, happy! Why don't you smile before you bring down rain?"  
  
Nabooru slapped Lupine so hard on the back after her statement that he staggered.  
  
Wincing, Lupine muttered, "Same old Nabooru."  
  
Lace giggled, unable to resist the jab.  
  
"Nabooru's an old lady!" She laughed.  
  
"I am not OLD!"  
  
"Oh no, help me, there's a granny on the loose!"  
  
"Get back here you little brat!"  
  
As a rather interesting chase began, Link and Lupine couldn't help laughing.  
  
"Is she always like this?"  
  
"Nah, Lace hasn't even gotten warmed up yet!"  
  
"...You know, back there…when he said that we were related, I was able to figure out your guy's names without help."  
  
Link looked at him curiously.  
  
"Mom told me she was having twins, a boy and a girl. They picked out the names. I never understood why they named us all with the letter 'L'."  
  
"Hmm," Link said as they entered the village.  
  
The still-deserted buildings made everyone a little nervous.  
  
"Okay, this is definitely wrong." Navi said as she hovered nearby.  
  
But out of the bushes a voice whispered, "…one…two…NOW!"  
  
"SURPRISE!"  
  
Every Kokiri jumped out of hiding.  
  
"You missed the first party, so enjoy!"  
  
Skull kids, fairies, and Deku Scrubs jumped out of hiding as well.  
  
"Set up the food and start playing!"  
  
A seriously rowdy party got going instantly.  
  
"Mido, what's going on?" Lace asked.  
  
"Everybody got their second wind!" He yelled as he pulled out some drums.  
  
"Not to mention this sort of thing is happening all over Hyrule," Cane popped out of nowhere. "We put the Golem Stone back, and Rosa said seeing something like a 'party all over Holodrum'. Everyone's having a party right now!"  
  
Cane laughed, and bid Link goodbye before disappearing into the woods.  
  
"Yeah, party!"  
  
Lupine gave Link a what-the-heck's-going-on look, to which Link responded with a I-don't-know-but-it-looks-like-fun one.  
  
Most of the Sages left for their own parties, but Zelda stayed. While Lace and the Skull Kids did a wild dance, everybody partied hardy.  
  
Eventually, the party ended. Link woke up in his house to a strange sound. He groaned - Kokiri Fruit Punch could give you quite the hangover - and walked onto the balcony.  
  
The _last_ thing he expected was to see a cow in his yard. The cow had a note tied to her neck. It said:  
  
"Dear Link,  
  
  
  
Weirdest thing happened. Was fighting Source of all Drakes when my sword changed. Looks like the Master Sword now.  
  
Anyway, defeated Drake problem.  
  
They found some descendants of the Royal Family hiding in Kakariko, so Hyrule has a government again. It's amazing! Plus, the Sprout and Kokiri offered to let me move to forest. Said I could use your old house.  
  
Had to redecorate, and had to get rid of cow 'cause Baba was scared of her. Cutest damn thing you ever saw. Didn't want to leave her by herself anyway.  
  
I got a job as official protector of Hyrule. Now I'm kind of the Shadow of Time, eh? For once, everything is starting to work out. Major parties over here when Ganon died. Baba says hello. Hope the package worked out.  
  
Many happy returns,  
  
-Shadow"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*TJ and Yami TJ are still fighting*  
  
Yami TJ: Aha! See - aibou - the readers all - skipped to the end!  
  
TJ: LIAR! BURN IN , UH, THAT PLACE-DOWN-THERE, YAMI!  
  
*Yami TJ catches on fire*  
  
Yami TJ: You can't expect to defeat me with such stupid lines like that, aibou!  
  
TJ: Good point. Want to go grab an ice cream?  
  
Yami TJ: Sure.  
  
*They walk off, hand in hand, into the sunset, not really noticing that Yami TJ is still on fire.*  
  
Chibi Red Eyes: Rawr rawr. Rawwwwwr rawr rawr rrrawwrrr...rawr. Rawr rawr! (Don't worry. They'll notice eventually...I think. Sayonara everybody!) 


End file.
